NW170: Security Alert, Ad Ban in Trondheim, New Low for Oil

Norway Weekly 170: Norway's top stories from the last seven days

Good morning everyone, and I hope you are able to join in the 17th May celebrations, wherever you are in the world. Here's what you may have missed in the news over the past week.

Top Story: Bomb alert grounds Ryanair flight to UK

A Ryanair flight from Oslo to Manchester was evacuated at the weekend after two passengers were overheard using the word ‘bomb’ in a heated conversation. The incident came just hours after the security alert at Manchester United's stadium.

Trondheim bans scantily clad models in adverts

Scantily clad females and muscular men will be banned from appearing on public advertising in Trondheim, as the local authorities attempt to combat negative body image problems. The Telegraph reports.

Business conditions at new low in Norway's oil region

A new survey revealed that oil companies in the west of Norway experienced further declines in demand and profitability in Q2 2016. Many are reluctant to make new investments, says the report.

Stavanger newspaper calls for end of monarchy

An editorial in Friday's edition of Stavanger Aftenbladet called for a constitutional evolution to bring Norway's monarchy to an end. This follows reports last month that the royal family costs Norway twice as much as previously thought.

Norway’s new Arctic oil licenses on the table

The Independent Barents Observer reports that the government is about to present the winners of 57 new Arctic drilling blocks. These new licenses will bring the Norwegian oil industry further into the Arctic than ever before.

Income disparities causing work boycotts in Norway

More than 350 restaurants and hotels, including some of Norway's biggest accommodation providers, have been affected by a strike by members of the Norwegian Hospitality Association and the Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions.

Footballers keep Norway's produce sales rising

An advertising campaign designed to boost fresh produce sales has driven a dramatic increase in fruit and vegetable intake in Norway, according to reports. Omar Elabdellaoui, Martin Ødegaard and Synne Jensen have all featured in Bama's campaign.

Planned Norway asylum centre destroyed by fire

A fire broke out at a building in Hol that was planned to be turned into an asylum centre. The former boarding house was completely destroyed.

Travel

Introducing the Norway Traveller

For more than five years, I’ve been sharing the stories of Norway with the world through this blog. As the audience has grown, I can’t continue to make Life in Norway be all things to all people. So I’ve decided to double-down on the initial aim of this website: to serve English speakers living and working in Norway. This means the launch of a brand new travel website: Norway Traveller.

The history beyond the charm of Røros

Diary of a guidebook writer in the Norwegian American: “Prior to 1645, the only people in the area were nomadic Sami herders or the odd hunter. Legend has it that a hunter discovered the copper after shooting a deer. As the deer tried in vain to escape, it brushed aside moss to reveal a shiny rock underneath. From that moment on, this remote part of Norway would never be the same again.”

Seven amazing remote retreats in Norway

From The Telegraph: “This former 1950s hillside holiday home in the district of Straumsnes on the west coast of Norway has been rebuilt with a contemporary modular design, featuring a series of “wooden pods” that extend out from a central space to maximise the rooms’ views of the adjacent fjords and surrounding scenery.”

Sport

West Ham to sign Norwegian midfielder

English Premier League club West Ham will sign Norway midfielder Håvard Nordtveit on a free transfer after his contract with Borussia Monchengladbach ends, according to BBC reports.

Ice hockey team humiliated again

The Czech Republic proved too powerful for the Norwegians at the Ice Hockey World Championships in Moscow. Norway lost 7-0 (paywalled article)

Blogs

You can't step into the same parade twice

From the Norwegian American Weekly: “Though my new tradition is to watch from one of the bars along the parade route, the crowd is not unruly like at Mardi Gras. Neither is it all Norwegians. Ballard has changed since its parade became a yearly event in 1974, a fact that causes much weeping and lamentation among Seattle Norwegians.”

Norwegian hot dogs

From My Little Norway: “At practically every outdoor social event especially with children, snow or shine, you can guarentee there will be grilling hot dogs.”